It had been a while since Ann Watt had fixed her daughter’s favorite meal, a Filipino dish called pancit.  

Watt wanted her daughter, Ally Brazier (formerly Watt), to enjoy comfort food when she came home to Colorado Springs. For the past 10 years, that wasn’t often enough, but home-cooked meals might become more frequent moving forward. 

After playing for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Orlando Pride the past three years, Brazier is returning to Colorado as part of the Denver Summit FC pro women’s soccer team, the NWSL’s 16th franchise. The Pine Creek graduate looks forward to reuniting with her hometown soccer community at the Summit’s inaugural home match March 28 at Empower Field. 

“It’s going to be fun to see people I haven’t seen in years be in the stands and be as supportive as they’ve been since the first day,” Brazier said. “People are surprised to see how many people are showing up for this team, but I’m not surprised at all. Growing up playing soccer here, I know what the soccer capacity is here. People are so ready to cheer on a local team. It’s been a long time coming.”

The news came as a complete surprise to Watt, who couldn’t be more thrilled to watch her daughter play in Colorado again. 

“She said she had some big news and said, ‘I’m coming home and playing for Denver.’ I was in tears,” said Watt, who played soccer at Air Academy. “She came home in the winter and always said how she didn’t like the cold anymore, so I didn’t think she would want to come back. I was really excited when she said she was coming home.” 

As a forward for Pride, Brazier helped the team win the 2024 NWSL Shield, an award given to the team with the best regular-season record, and the 2024 NWSL Championship over the Washington Spirit. The forward is one of five Summit players from Colorado, including Golden’s Lindsey Heaps, who was announced to join the team Jan. 12.

“I remember watching her play whenever the national team was playing here,” Brazier said of Heaps. “To have someone so highly recognized at the highest level and have her as a teammate is amazing. We get to represent our state. We all have a combined passion for why we all decided to come back and play for this team.” 

When The Gazette spoke with Brazier, she hadn’t considered the fact that the Summit is the first women’s professional sports team in Colorado. The thought only excites her more for the season.

“It’s insane we have never had a women’s sports team here,” Brazier said. “It’s just a stepping stone and going to show how much we can expand as a city and state and encourage more growth.”

Brazier found her passion for soccer through the Colorado Springs-based youth soccer club Pride Soccer. Club co-founder Candy Brooks remembers watching a 4-year-old Brazier run around in a purple Pride Predators uniform at Cottonwood Creek Park and is excited to watch her play in the inaugural match. 

“When she announced she was coming home, it immediately put a sense of pride in all of our hearts because she accomplished what very few get to these days,” Brooks said. “She was always disciplined and determined. If you told her no, she was more deliberate in proving you wrong. She proved to everybody that she could.” 

A dual athlete for Pine Creek, Brazier was a four-year letter winner in track and field while leading the Eagles to success on the pitch for two years. Speed was always Brazier’s prowess, taking four state titles in high school, including the 100 and 200-meter events at the 2012 and 2014 state championships. 

“The team would stand still and watch her do her thing because she was intoxicating in what she was able to do with her speed and technique,” Pine Creek girls’ soccer coach John Frederick said. “One thing that impressed me was that she did track and soccer at the same time, but would still be there for the team and be a great teammate.” 

Despite her success on the track – she even chose to forgo soccer her senior year to focus on it – soccer was always Brazier’s first love and what she opted to pursue at the collegiate level. Brazier played at Texas A&M and was drafted sixth overall by the North Carolina Courage in 2020. She was traded to Orlando in 2022.

While at Texas A&M, Brazier met her now husband, professional track runner Donovan Brazier. Brazier says it was bittersweet watching her “Watt” jersey be retired in Orlando, but she is thrilled about the new name.  

Brazier looks forward to showing off her hometown and the beauty of the Pikes Peak region. 

“I think it would be nice to fully show (Donovan) where I grew up,” Brazier said. “I want to show him the park I first played soccer at, all the houses I lived in. I want to show him Manitou (Springs), and where my grandpa took me fishing all the time. I want to show him Pine Creek, and where I grew up playing soccer at El Pomar.

“I want to show him everything.” 

Brazier also has deep ties to the Air Force Academy, where she was born and where her mother and father, Col. John S. Watt, were married at the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. 

In a moment of reflection, Brazier said that returning home to Colorado will help her remember why she loved soccer in the first place. 

“My love and passion have always been there and never faltered that much,” Brazier said. “What keeps me going is tapping into the kids’ side of why I love soccer so much. That’s something I haven’t lost sight of yet. This is where my love for soccer started, and it’s going to be hard for me to lose that love for it when you’re back where it originated.”

“It’s been part of my life for over 20 years. I don’t remember a time without soccer. My brother played soccer, so I got tossed into it right away. Mom tried to put me in ballet and pageants, but soccer is the only one that stuck. Coming home adds one more layer to my career that I’m really proud of.”

One more layer and countless helpings of her favorite meals.